Category: 12 Steps

Thanks again for signing up for my free newsletter. See, I was just like you might be. I found myself in a place I hated: sluggish, 15 pounds overweight, suffering with a variety of health problems . . . and I was only 25 years old!

But that’s a story you already know well, because millions of people can tell that story.

Where I’ve come since then is the tale you’ll find much more interesting, I think. Because it represents the way out of the nightmare for you, too. The mess that is the modern American lifestyle of overweight, energy drain, and failing health. There’s only one way out of that mess. It’s a straight path. And it’s the road less traveled.

I am teaching, on GreenSmoothieGirl.com, my recipe collections, my blog, my 12 Steps to Whole Foods course, and my new book The Green Smoothie Diet, and this newsletter what that path is.

I got to that straight and narrow path through a fairly zigzaggy way . . .

But first, the cataclysmic moment when I knew something had to change. I had a 15-month old baby who was desperately ill. He was just fine until I quit breastfeeding him at 7 months old. Then, on formula and then eventually cow’s milk, he was mucousy and coughing, constantly ill, sickly and miserable, up all night wheezing. This went on for many months.

The pediatrician gave Kincade lots of syrups and pills and inhaled drugs. He was always drugged up. The meds may or may not have sometimes slowed the symptoms (I never was really sure), but one thing was certain: my little boy wasn’t getting healthier. And the doc told me the steroids were “guaranteed” to stunt his growth.

After quite a few months of this, I realized one thing very clearly, even if a lot of other things were still fuzzy for me. And that things was, doctors were not going to solve my little son’s health problems. After this information settled in for a while, in a terrifying way, I made a second realization: I, and I alone–not doctors or anyone else–was responsible for finding the information that WOULD solve Kincade’s problems.

A series of coincidences (that I now believe were inspiration, not coincidences) led me to study nutrition. I learned that a diet rich in raw vegetables and fruits, with whole grains and legumes and nuts and seeds as complements, might help my son.

Little did I know that it would actually save the whole family–including children not yet born.

A radical shift took place, not over a year or over an extended period of time, but literally overnight.

We were done with steroids. Done with bronchodilators. Done with cough syrups. Done with late-night emergency room visits. Cold turkey, just like that, we were done with fatigue, and all-night coughing, and stressed-out-Mom tears, and “What do I do?” after-hours calls to the nurse, and counting breaths per minute, and rocking a baby who was turning blue.

All because I got him off dairy products and sugar and white flour . . . and onto green smoothies and whole foods.

What we undertook was a lifestyle of eating–in this order–greens, vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and unadulterated oils.

That sounds like drudgery, but more than 250 recipes and dozens of video demos in my course show you otherwise. You can eat like a king–food with vibrant, complex flavors and textures–enjoying life . . . while returning your body to a state of health!

I developed GreenSmoothieGirl.com to make your path less zigzaggy. Writing and developing recipes for 12 Steps to Whole Foodshttp://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/12-step-blog/12-step-program/was a labor of love to flatten that learning curve for you, so it doesn’t take you 15 years of trying hundreds of different things. You can do it a much more linear way!

I have endometriosis and ovarian cysts and have suffered with cramping, heavy menstruation, and low back pain for 20+ years. I have had numerous surgeries to help correct and alleviate the problem with no success. I finally reached the point that my doctors determined a hysterectomy would be my next surgery. I am in my early thirties and was not ready for that so I spent a lot of time researching nutritional options. I discovered green smoothies and they have helped tremendously (I have been drinking them for a year now).

My cycles have improved dramatically and the majority of the time I feel like a normal person.That has never been the case because of this constant pain that was always with me. Thanks for all of the info on your site. As I have changed my eating habits I have also discovered trigger foods that cause ovarian pain, spotting, and bleeding. I am grieving the loss of chocolate but the smoothies have almost taken any cravings for sweets away. Once again thanks so much for helping to change the quality of my life.

–Becky Flannery (Sandy, UT)

I started drinking green smoothies two months ago.I use a large amount of organic leafy produce and I use kombucha as the liquid, with a small amount of fruit or fruit juice. Then I follow it up with a handful of spirulina and chlorella tablets.This combination rocks.

–Anon.

Green smoothies have saved my life! I had been in a state of depression for the past 4 years. I was put depression medicine but it never helped. I discovered green smoothies in December of 2008 and decided to give it a try in January 2009. It has been two months since I started making a green smoothie everyday and I feel AMAZING, WONDERFUL, and FULL OF LIFE. I have not felt this good in a long time. I have had tons of energy, I can fall asleep faster at night and feel rested when I wake up, I don’t feel the need to take daily naps, I have had less cravings for sweets and processed foods, my motivation is back, and I have lost 8 pounds in 2 months. Green smoothies are here to stay!

–AB from IL

I love the green smoothies; they have made a world of difference in my life. I know I am a happier healthier person because of them. I am so thankful for them; I love them so very much.They have given me so much drive. It is easier to drink your greens.I have been eating healthy greens for years. I like the kale in a smoothie rather than eating it daily as I have done. It is much easier to get down in a drinkable form. Thank you!

I have a bajillion of these, and I’ll talk about other stuff sometimes and sprinkle these in, just to keep you motivated with others’ fun tales of their health improving:

I tried the green smoothie after juicing for several years. Juicing was expensive and demanded a lot of time and work extracting the juice from the fiber and cleaning the juicer. Blended raw foods made a lot of sense and I did not need to be converted on the idea.

When I began drinking the green smoothie I weighed 285 lbs. One year later I weigh 240 lbs. Daily workouts have contributed as much to my weight loss as any other factor. However, the benefits of the green smoothie as I experienced them are as follows:

1. Drinking the green smoothie changed my bowel movement habits, which are now frequent (2-3 times a day) and regular.

2.The green smoothie is my pre-workout, first thing in the morning food. I have been surprised at the energy it sustains throughout my workout.

3. The green smoothie fills me up without slowing me down. It satisfies my hunger and cravings till early in the afternoon. It has curbed my overall appetite thus decreasing the overall calories I consume in a day.

4. I find that the green smoothie helps my digestion, especially with the foods that do not digest well. I eat a lot of lean meat and I feel the organic raw food in my gut facilitates digestion and elimination of meat.

5. Beginning my day with green smoothie drinks and working out provides me the momentum, nutrition, and motivation to eat a strict lean diet throughout the rest of the day.

The green smoothie has lived up to the expectations I had. Several of the above benefits caught me totally by surprise. I have been drinking green smoothies every morning for the past year. They have served me well. Now that I have lost the weight I needed, I have significantly increased my strength and energy. My new goals are not to lose any more weight but to increase my overall lean muscle mass. My idea is to begin drinking green smoothies twice a day rather than just once in the morning.

–Gregg L.

I started drinking green smoothies and doing about 80% to 95% raw to help improve my migraine headaches. I lost 51 pounds in six months and I feel great. I am 47 years old, and I teach at an alternative high school.It can be very stressful working with at-risk youth. I have seen my mood and attitude improve so much since I started adding green smoothies as my breakfast.

My favorite is 2 bananas, 1 large apple, 2 kale leaves, 6-8 dandelion greens, 2 large handfuls fresh spinach, some wheatgrass juice, 2 cups water and 1 cup of ice. Blend and I have breakfast and my afternoon snack. This great stuff and I will not ever go back to eating the way I used to with fast and processed foods.

I would like to convert everybody. There are many benefits. You will experience increased energy. You will need less sleep and your cravings for sweets will decrease down to nothing. You will lose weight, your blood pressure will come down. You will feel like 21 again.

I actually, really look forward to the first smoothie in the a.m. It is easy, and if you give it a chance, you will love it too. The first smoothie I made I used a 1/2 banana and tasted great, but I did not want to use it on a daily basis. So, I did not make any smoothies for one month. I decided to go back and try again, this time with a 1/2 apple for 32 ounces. That hooked me!

Green smoothies taste so fresh. I make 64 ounces in the a.m. I use 32 ounces in the morning and save the next 32 ounces for noon meal. You can take it with you to work. It travels well and it is so easy, I just make mine fresh everyday.

The GreenSmoothieGirl website is extremely informative with all the information for making the green smoothie. I vary the greens (very important), but my base is apple, celery, parsley (all organic, of course). I then on various days use two of the following, any of the types of kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, collard greens, dandelion, arugula, or anything else that looks fresh.

Put the soft washed leafy greens in the bottom of the blender and top it with the harder washed vegetables. Add the filtered water, and start blending, If it is too thick, add more water and blend again. I sip it (as a good portion of digestion occurs in the mouth). And, I get to enjoy this every morning.

Now, to keep the greens extra fresh, here is what I do. I place each type of green, unwashed in a mason jar 1/4 filled with water. I top it with one of those green bags and twist the green bag at the bottom around with my fingers, so it is fairly secure around the mason jar. Greens keep great, and I never throw out anything, seriously. Keeping green onions like this is wonderful, the greens love it. Wishing my best to everyone who has a desire for great health and is willing to give a green smoothie a fair shot.

–Lorraine L. (Naples, Florida)

What can we say! My husband, myself, and our 15 month old baby are hooked! There is no such thing as the 3 o’clock sleepiness anymore. We have so much more energy. Our daughter loves the smoothies. She even has a smoothie dance she does when she wants some. With her on the green smoothies, I do not worry so much about if she is getting proper nutrition. I just know she is. With the addition of flax seed or chia, I also know she is getting the good fats she needs for brain development. I am so glad I stumbled onto your site, Robyn. This has changed our lives.

–Shelly N.

This is the healthful “FAST FOOD!” My health has changed for the better! I now have a desire to do, and to live! Thanks to green smoothies!

So I celebrated handing my book off to the publisher last Monday by goofing off a lot, skiing a few days last week. Turns out that a quart of green smoothie is an AWESOME skiing lunch. My girlfriends (with their inferior lunch) were losing energy and wanting to go home while I was still ready to keep slogging through the Utah Sundance slush late in the afternoon. (That’s the downside of spring skiing, the upside being you can ditch your jacket and gloves and just ski in a tank top–how fun is that?)

A handful of that Nantucket Trail Mix from Costco and I was SET for the day! Here are more green smoothie testimonials from my research–remember that MORE ENERGY is the #1 health benefit of GS that my study found, which corroborates Victoria Boutenko’s study. You need any of that?

I wish I started drinking green smoothies earlier in life! I cannot believe how much energy I have just from this one simple dietary change! My digestion issues vanished in one week and my skin looks amazing. I feel really healthy and cannot say enough about how much more energy I have.

–Anon.

I crave green smoothies. They satisfy my hunger. I am a teacher; therefore, I am surrounded by germs and viruses. Since I have been on green smoothies for about six months, I have not been sick. I am convinced the phytonutrients in my breakfast and lunch smoothie are what has kept me in good health.

–Chris B.

I am so in love with green smoothies! I am a 31 yr. old mother of four children. I am very into fitness/weight lifting to build muscle in my body. I started green smoothies just after I had been referred to GreenSmoothieGirl.com by my zoning lady for chronic headaches and muscle tension in my neck that would not go away. Soon after I started drinking green smoothies daily, the headaches and muscle tension left! I have not had the problem since.

I drink green smoothies for breakfast along with a whey protein shake every morning, and also for my snacks during the day, I make a full pitcher of green smoothie every 2-3 days and keep it in my fridge when I need a snack. It is quick and easy and very healthy! It keeps me on track for my ideal weight goals! I have converted many friends and family to green smoothies! I recommend them to everyone I meet! When someone asks me what I am doing to look so good, I just give them my personal green smoothie recipe and some fitness tips!

I would like to thank Robyn for this AWESOME idea and for taking the steps to get the information on her website to help others who so desperately need a nutritious lifestyle!

–LaDawn Doxey ( Syracuse , UT )

Feel better, have decreased the amount of sugar in the diet due to the smoothies. Like the increase in green veggies. Hate the taste of wheatgrass. Like this manner of getting chlorophyll better.

How much does the average family spend on groceries?Nationwide, according to the USDA, here it is:

Two adults:

$361 thrifty / $459 low-cost / $569 moderate / $711 liberal

Two adults and 2 kids under 11:

$603 thrifty / $779 low-cost / $974 moderate / $1,182 liberal

Spending for my own family, which includes 4 kids, two of whom are teenagers and all of whom play at least one competitive sport, puts me in the THRIFTY to LOW-COST range.

So much for these excuses for not eating nutritious whole foods:

“I can’t because I’m a busy, single, working mom.”

“It’s too expensive.”

Truly, I believe that the reason nutrition hasn’t gone out the window since I’ve been a single mother is that I had good habits and a repertoire of recipes and ideas in place.These are what I try to give you with my 12 Steps program.

And I don’t overspend on groceries (I spend about $800/mo.) because what I spend on produce is offset by what I DON’T spend on processed/packaged food and meat.While I do like a bargain, I don’t have the time or the interest to clip coupons, drive all over town, or obsess about the budget.Also, while 12 Steps gives lots of tips, the top two that save me loads of money are (1) summer gardening, and (2) my large freezer that allows me to store produce, seeds, nuts, and more.

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GreenSmoothieGirl and GSGLife founder, Robyn Openshaw’s passion for educating people about diet and nutrition arose from her own personal journey. 20 years ago, Robyn weighed over 200 pounds and had 21 chronic diseases.

Getting off the Standard American Diet proved a lifesaver. Robyn lost 70 pounds without dieting, by converting to a whole-foods, mostly plant-based diet. Twenty years later, she is a competitive athlete, free of all disease and symptoms, and at her ideal weight.